3 Ways to Hang a Hammock in Your Apartment [Must-Read] 

Many people want to hang a hammock in their apartment for aesthetics and to create a relaxing hang-out area. 

No judgment here if you intend to use it as a bed—anthropologists date the origins of hammocks to the Mayans, who wanted to sleep off the ground to avoid predators and insects. So, can you hang a hammock in an apartment? 

Considering Safety When Hanging a Hammock in Your Apartment

Although hanging a hammock in an apartment isn't too challenging, you must follow specific safety measures. 

Lounging around a couple of feet off the floor might not feel like you're high off the ground unless you suddenly crash down back-first because of a faulty hammock or installation!

So, to avoid the possibility of an accident, read the following safety precautions before you proceed.

• Never hang your hammock from metal studs
• Check the hammock for damages before you hang it
• Always attach your hammock to studs in the walls or ceiling
• Choose a hammock height that's easy for you to climb in and out of
• Always test your newly hung hammock with heavyweight objects first

Preparing the Tools to Hang Your Hammock

Hanging a hammock doesn't require many tools. In the case of floor stands, you might not need any tools at all. 

Nevertheless, below is a list of items that you'll need to install most hammocks.

• Rope or chain
• Drill
• Eyebolt
• Stud finder (not necessary, but helpful if you already own one)

3 Ways to Hang a Hammock in Your Apartment

Now that we covered safety tips and tools, it's time to get your hammock up. You have three options for hanging a hammock inside your apartment. We'll walk you through the step-by-step process for each of them.

That being said, before you get too excited if you don't own your apartment, be sure to check with your apartment complex to ensure they're okay with you making a hole in your wall or ceiling. 

There's no point in installing a hammock if you'll end up having a hefty bill at the end of your lease or lose your deposit!

If you can't drill holes in your apartment, all hope isn't lost. We'll show you an alternative installation method in the third and final point.

Option #1: Attach Your Hammock to the Wall

The chances are high that you haven't given much thought to what's inside your apartment walls. However, before you hang your hammock, it's vital to know what material their support beams contain.

Most buildings use two-by-four pieces of wood as wall support studs. That's especially the case in older buildings. However, some new buildings may have metal studs.

It may feel counterintuitive, but although you can drill holes into these metal pieces, the metal isn't strong enough to support a hammock. So, if you find out your walls have metal beams, head down to point number three to learn about a drill-free option.

If your walls have wooden studs, you're in luck. But now you need to find them.

If you don't have an automated stud finder, follow these steps to find your wall studs manually:

1. Knock on different places on your wall.
2. Listen to the sound of the knock.
3. Once your knock doesn't sound hollow, you know you've found a stud.

Alternatively, you can look for electrical sockets. Wherever there's one, you can be sure there's a stud too.

Since you likely don't want to hang your hammock across your dining room table or another inconvenient area, you'll be glad to know that most studs run in intervals of every 16 to 24 inches along the walls of an apartment. 

Therefore, once you identify your first stud, it should be easy enough to find the others.

Next, choose two studs located across from each other. Then, take a pencil and mark the wall where you want to drill a hole, ensuring to mark the exact same height on both the studs.

Most people find that hanging a hammock 5.5 – 6 feet off the ground is a good height. However, it'll depend on your wall's size and personal preference for how high you'd like your hammock to hang off the ground.

Now that you've identified your wall studs, it's time to get drilling. Here’s how:

• First, use your drill to create a pilot hole in both studs, ensuring that the holes are as close to the center of the studs as you can manage.
• Then, take an eye bolt and manually screw it into each hole.
• Finally, loop it around the end of your hammock and tie either end of the hammock around the eye bolts using a thick rope or chain.

Below are some suggestions when tying your hammock:

• Use a suspension angle of around 30 degrees
• A chain makes adjusting your suspension angle easier

Option #2: Hang Your Hammock from the Ceiling

Ceilings have studs, too. So, if you prefer, you can hang your hammock from the ceiling instead of the wall.

Personally, we prefer hanging apartment hammocks from the wall. That's because you have complete control over both the height and curve that your hammock hangs. However, by hanging your hammock from the ceiling, you can only adjust its height by moving it up and down. 

For this reason, you must calculate how much space your hammock needs to hang from the ceiling before drilling any holes. As a general rule, a 10 – 15-foot distance between the eye bolts is typically a good amount of space.

Once you're ready to drill, you can follow the exact same procedure we covered in the wall hanging section.

Option #3: Use a Floor Stand

When you rent an apartment, you usually can't make changes to its interior. Even if you don't rent your space, the thought of drilling holes in the wall isn't an appealing idea to everyone.

Luckily, hammock floor stands offer a solution.

A floor stand is essentially a piece of furniture, often made of wood, that curves up from the floor into a half-circle. You then attach your hammock to either end, creating a safe and drill-free way to use a hammock.

There are several advantages to purchasing a hammock floor stand, including:

• Easy to install
• You can move it around your apartment
• You don't have to worry about incorrectly drilling through a wall stud

Nevertheless, there's a reason why so many people choose to install hammocks directly into their apartment walls or ceilings. Some disadvantages of hammock floor stands are:

• They're more expensive
• They take up a lot of space
• You can't easily store them 

The size of hammock floor stands varies. But on average, you can expect to encounter frames 15 feet long and four feet wide. 

So, if you were hoping to use a hammock to replace a bed because of tight space, you're likely better off buying a twin mattress.